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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25583491">Fallen Pride</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pillbug_Panic/pseuds/Pillbug_Panic'>Pillbug_Panic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Future, Blame the void, F/F, F/M, Hornet is the ruler of Hallownest now, M/M, Mantis Tribe finds void, Not Beta Read, Quirrel is the new Teacher, You’ll find out the rest in the fic it’s fine, it’s a war baby!!, more characters to be added as it goes on, same with relationships, technically. it’s still read beforehand but uh ya know.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:07:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25583491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pillbug_Panic/pseuds/Pillbug_Panic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They had depended on the light of the Goddess for so long. They had used it for strength, for power...<br/>Her light had been extinguished for quite some time now, and her previously devoted followers were left weak. Craving the power they once held, they sought out new deities within their realm.</p><p>     It seems like they’ve found just the right choice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Quirrel/Tiso (Hollow Knight)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yo!! This is my first fic on here- and probably my first in general if you excuse all the... The Warrior Cats ones. Yeah.</p><p>   Anyways, I hope both y’all enjoy and that I can actually finish this eventually...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Everything was dark.</p><p>     A black lake sat silently at the bottom of the cavern, the strange waters unbelievably still. No winds fought to stir it into motion. No creatures entered into its depths to send ripples through its surface.<br/>
It was as if time had stopped entirely.</p><p>     Suddenly, the waves sunk down and shot back up into vicious tentacles, clawing and scraping at the edges of the shore. Strange noises seemed to ring throughout the area, bouncing off the walls- sounds, almost like muffled growls and shrieks.<br/>
A large shape stood upon the shore, just out of reach.</p><p>     This would do.</p><p>     This would do just fine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Fearful Warning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A word of warning is sent to the queen, and danger is imminent.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Silvery light shone down upon the paths of the kingdom from lanterns placed along their sides. Bugs peacefully wandered across the bright roads in both directions, talking to friends, admiring the scenery, or lost in their own thoughts.</p><p>     That was, until a bug cloaked in white dashed through the crowd, shoving citizens left and right, ignoring their annoyed and startled shouts. The cloaked bug couldn’t bother to acknowledge these folks- for they had more important business to attend to.</p><p>     Urgent business.</p><p> </p><p>     Hornet traveled through the palace aimlessly. This entire place was now her own. Not that she was much of a fan of its nearly blinding paleness and the expensive furniture scattered across every room.</p><p>     It didn’t help that this was one of the only environments she could be in at the moment; at the fall of the Radiance and her infection, the kingdom of Hallownest had to be rebuilt. Although Hornet felt she was far more suited to be a warrior, she knew that, as the daughter of the Pale King and quite possibly his only child that could truly take on this job, she had to fill his role. Now she stood as the sole ruler of Hallownest, and although her siblings and the previous queen were always quick to help, she found herself too busy with the rebuilding of the kingdom and the reformation of the previous rule’s order to find the time to leave the palace.</p><p>     She let out a drawn-out sigh and stared down at the floor. This was quite possibly the most boring period of her entire life. The same schedule every day- approve of a project, give suggestions for reforms, sit down and work on even more reforms, show said reforms, reforms, reforms, reforms…</p><p> </p><p>     She jumped out of her thoughts as a door slammed nearby behind her. She spun on her heels and instinctively reached back to grasp the hilt of her needle as the small bug nearly collapsed onto their knees in front of her, cloak billowing out around them then falling to the floor.</p><p>     “Y-your highness, your highness,” the bug wheezed, out of breath, “I carry important information. You m-must hear immediately!”</p><p>     Hornet glared down at the bug with intrigue.</p><p>     “Well? Spit it out then.”</p><p>     “I- the Archives- they- dear wyrm, they're being attacked! It’s horrible, it’s just absolutely terrifying, the scholars and students are- they can’t fight back, and more and more just keep showing up!”</p><p>     “More and more of what?” Hornet questioned, narrowing her eyes. An attack on a place as peaceful as the archives was surely something to take serious note of.</p><p>     “The… The mantis tribe. They’ve… They’ve gone mad,” the courier finally mumbled, growing quieter as they went on. They stared down at the floor, now balancing on one knee in a sort of clumsy bow.</p><p>     Hornet shifted her gaze upwards for a moment in thought before speaking.</p><p> </p><p>     “Go, courier, deliver the news to the Great Knights. Tell them to meet up at the archives, and to come prepared for battle,” she commanded before shooting off towards the doorway. “-And get them to bring some soldiers!”</p><p>     She couldn’t help but feel excited as she sped off. Finally, something entertaining!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Battle of the Archives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hornet quickly grows worried as she realizes the severity of the situation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A small warning, this does mention things like blood and death, although I wouldn't say it's too gruesome-</p><p>But still safe to warn of it!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Everything seemed to be silent as she swung down into the Fog Canyon. No shouts or sounds of crashing metal or chitin, only the gentle swishes of the plant life around her. She scanned the area before advancing across the newly built paths further down towards the archives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     As she neared the large building, she could hear the intense battle begin to tear through the veil of silence. The screams grew louder, the wails stronger, the shrieking of metal sharper. Uneasiness washed over her as the scent of blood began to overwhelm that of nature. Mantis warriors burst from the brush and charged recklessly through the canyon, too focused on their target to notice her. Throwing herself from the ceiling and skidding to a halt on the freshly paved brick path in front of the archives, Hornet scanned her surroundings. Mantis warriors charged through the door and chased mauled students and teachers out of any entrance they could find to the paths littered with blood, corpses, and glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Hornet quickly sped through one of the many high windows before any of the warriors could notice her arrival. It was better to go in unexpected and take them off guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     The moment she arrived through the window she was smacked out of the air by a whirling blade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Stunned, she lay on her back before regaining her balance and tossing herself back up. Mantis petras stared down at her crossly as they reeled their claws back to toss down once more, but she was quicker with her own blade, and managed to toss and hook it onto a distant wall. She shot through the airborne crowd and scanned the halls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     ...He wasn’t here. He could be anywhere, but not here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She quickly swung herself through the next doorway, aware of the mantises that were now swerving through the battle towards her. As much as she wanted to battle them and save the students they were clawing and tearing at, she had more important business to attend to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     She paused for a moment, staring at the large entrance in front of her. She had finally arrived, and now was the moment of truth- a truth that she expected to be gruesome and horrid based off of the battered door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She had woven her way through the hallways, avoiding the mantis warriors on her tail and doing her best to ignore the shouting and wailing students that pitifully reached for her as she passed even though she knew this all may be for nothing. She had to find </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as he was a top priority to the kingdom, and must focus on this task no matter how many times her mind shouted at her to save the others; that he was a lost cause, that he had likely already been targeted and killed within the battle. She sighed, squeezed through the crack in the door, and quickly shoved it shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Mantis warriors were crowded around the room, shoving and pushing one another as if they were mindless. It sent shivers down her spine </span>
  <em>
    <span>(but she’s gone, it can’t be-) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and she quickly pulled her needle in front of her in defense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She blinked. No claws came after her. No teeth flashed in her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     All the mantis warriors seemed to be dead set on something in the corner of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>It has to be…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>She quickly tossed her needle to a windowsill high above the corner, and as she landed, she could see the speedy flash of a silver blade appear within the crowd. It was quickly covered up from view once more as more of the bugs began to clamber over and around one another towards it. She readied her nail, took a deep breath, then dived down towards the middle of the fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She put her old skills to use. With only a seconds warning, thread shot out around the room, slicing across the chitin of the bugs within and forcing out cries of surprise and pain. Heads quickly turned to focus on her, and a few seemed to exchange glances before groups broke off to charge her way. She brought her blade up to counter a claw, then swung it around her to slice the bodies that crowded her. As her nail made its rounds, she could feel the sting of claws quickly regenerating in the places she had just cleared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She swung her blade around once, twice, bringing down multiple of the warriors; but their power came in numbers. One rose up behind her mid-swing and drove a sharp claw across her back, sending pain searing through her body. She stifled a small cry and tore her blade behind her once more before leaping into the air and making her way back off towards the side of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Once more, she brought out her thread- although not much on the terms of harming the bugs it seemed, it still stunned and sliced them- and threw it through the air. She listened as a loud thud sounded nearby followed by a yip that seemed to differ from that of the mantises. One single glance to the side and she locked eyes for a moment with the bug she had been searching for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She dashed in his direction, hoping that the warriors would stay stunned for just a moment longer, and scooped him up into one arm. Although she could barely get a look at him, she could feel the warmth of what she could only assume to be blood soaking into her robes. She shot her needle back up to the window she had latched onto before and winced against the claws that shot out to grab the two as they rose into the air. Once upon the windowsill, she once more tossed her needle out, and with hardly a moment to spare. Mantis petras lunged at them, only a mere centimeter away as they flew back into the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     She landed with a thud nearby a heavily armoured warrior. He turned and quickly trotted over, a worried expression falling over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Your highness, I apologize for arriving so late! By the time I had gotten here, it was already beyond saving, and so I did my best to just collect the escapees,” he boomed, pointing a claw towards a small opening in the fern-covered wall that seemed to open up into a much larger area full of injured and shaken bugs. He glanced down to her arms and his expression immediately grew even more worried than before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “...Your highness, the teacher- is he…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     Hornet glanced down at the pillbug that lay limply against her, only held up by an arm wrapped under his arm and across his chest. She winced at the blood that stained both their robes and seemed to originate from his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     “He… He is alright, i think,” she muttered unsurely, hoping that the gentle thudding she felt was his heartbeat and not just her own. She allowed the beetle to lift him from her grasp and wrap him in his own arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     He stared down at the pillbug for a moment before hugging him tighter to his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     “I’ll get him in the hideaway, and perhaps someone there can help,” he commented hopefully, “It’s important he’s gotten to safety.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     Hornet watched as the knight slipped into the little cavern, quickly disappearing from sight. She glanced back at the archives. Perhaps, she could return, perhaps she could save a few more…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Hornet slid into the ferns after him. These bugs were guaranteed alive, and they needed her.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nobody knows what's happening. The author loses it trying to write in Ze'mer's speech pattern and just straight-up gives up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Gentle murmurs and groans echoed in the small cave. It was decently crowded, the injured bugs shoved back to the farthest reaches of the area as the healthier ones attempted to tend to their wounds. A sole nurse that had managed to escape with the others rushed from patient to patient hurriedly, quickly examining wounds and bandaging the worst of them with cloth and leaves. A small group of tense soldiers had formed off to one side.</p><p>     Hornet stared down at the pillbug wheezing on the floor. His personal guard sat besides him, one hand set firmly upon the side of a bloodied bandage wrapped around the teacher’s body. His eyes seemed to both spark with worry and flare in rage.</p><p> </p><p>     The teacher paused, let out a short cough, then sat up.</p><p> </p><p>     “...Y-your highness,” he rasped, placing a claw over one side of his face, “the archives- the school- why? Why would they attack? Wh-why here?”</p><p> </p><p>     Hornet lowered herself down onto one knee to stare at him eye level.</p><p>     “I was hoping you could tell me, teacher.”</p><p> </p><p>     The teacher stared at her long and hard, a disbelieving look crossing his face. He shook his head quickly, the guard adjusting his grip onto his shoulder to keep him steady.</p><p>     “No, no- no, you are not accusing me of- this is not my fault, I did nothing!”</p><p> </p><p>     Hornet stood back up as the pillbug was shaken by a series of coughs once again, clutching his stomach with a small groan afterwards. She took a step back, exchanging a look with the beetle knight who had stepped over besides her, then sighed.</p><p>     The teacher piped up again the moment he could.</p><p>     “Y-you see, we did nothing, the school has been respectful, we have been accepting them in, we have been respecting their territory- if a student uses their property for- for- for say, an experiment, they would be in big trouble! We wouldn’t tolerate that! We have been nothing but kind!” He rambled, bringing both his claws up to rub at his eyes. “We gave them no reason to- all the students, so many students, we promised to- they-“</p><p>     The guard at his side gave his shoulder a squeeze with a tiny hush, silencing his monologue. The teacher stared down at the ground dejectedly.</p><p>     Hornet stepped away for a moment, pacing a small distance.</p><p>     </p><p>     “...I’m not accusing you, teacher, but I do believe that you could see why I would ask that. Like you said before, the archives are a place of peace and respect. There has to be some sort of reason for this outburst.”</p><p> </p><p>    Hornet glanced over at him for a second, only to catch a glare from the bug who sat up close to him. Although unintimidated, she turned back around and stared at the ground.</p><p> </p><p>     A tall white shape emerged from the entrance, peeking the attention of many of the bugs. She entered with only a few guards, her nail held tightly within one of her hands. She approached Hornet and gave a small bow.</p><p>     “We did our best, your highness,” she said with a small shiver in her voice, “but we didn’t save many.” She gave a nod back to the ferns from which a few more guards appeared accompanying few students and teachers, all of which had some sort of visible limp or gash.</p><p>     “Thank you, Ze’mer. A few are better than none.” Hornet watched as the newcomers got situated, a couple letting out relieved squeals as they spotted their friends already within the cavern. It was quite a pitiful sight, so many injured, distressed, only the sight of a friend or even just an acquaintance sending them into hysterics…</p><p> </p><p>     She glanced back at the teacher.</p><p>     “Look at this pathetic sight… All these bugs need guidance right now. What they need is their teacher,” she commented quietly towards him. “They cannot get through this alone.”</p><p> </p><p>     The pillbug sat still for another moment before rising to his feet with the help of his guard. He let out a soft sigh as he leaned against the ant’s side, the two bugs nodding to one another before approaching the crowd. Hornet watched them leave. Still, no answers. All she knew was that the mantis tribe had decided to attack and that the bugs of Hallownest had been put into serious danger.</p><p>     She was still fairly new to this whole “leading” business. She used to only have to protect herself and her environment, but now all of the bugs of the kingdom were her responsibility, and she wasn’t sure how she would solve this.</p><p>     Quite frankly, she wasn’t sure if she COULD solve this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I realized I didn’t even bother to imitate Ze’mer’s speech patterns I. I’m shrieking it’s so difficult I don’t even blame myself</p><p>ALSO yoooo been a long time since I updated wassup</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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